Page 77 - Coronavirus

UP govt approves pricing of RTPCR at Rs 700, antigen tests at Rs 250

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday approved the cost of Covid-19 tests, including Antigen, and RTPCR tests in private centres in the state

PPE kits, masks, other Covid preventive products' exports under Govt radar

The government has started close monitoring of exports of products used to deal with Covid infections such as PPE kits, masks, ventilators and certain medicines like paracetamol on account of rising infections in various countries, including China, an official said. The move is aimed at dealing with any possible emergency situation on account of a spurt in coronavirus cases. "We are keeping a close watch on exports of all these products. We are monitoring the situation to take appropriate decisions, though the situation at present is not alarming. We should be prepared for everything and for that our domestic requirement should be ready, the official said. We have started collecting data on a daily basis for monitoring purposes for products like PPE kits, syringes, gloves, certain medicines like Remdesivir and paracetamol, the official added. The issue came up at a recently held inter-ministerial preparatory meeting attended by senior officials from different ministries including .

With no new cases in 17 days, Mizoram decides against imposing Covid curbs

Mizoram has decided not to impose COVID-19 curbs as of now as the state has not reported any fresh case in the last 17 days. The decision was taken during Chief Secretary Renu Sharma's meeting with health officials to review the COVID situation in the state. During the meeting, it was observed that there was no necessity to impose restrictions as of now as the state has neither reported any COVID case for 17 days from December 13 nor has any Omicron BF.7 variant infection been detected. However, the need for COVID-appropriate behaviour was underlined. The state has thus far registered 2,38,964 COVID-19 cases and 726 fatalities due to the infection to date. A total of 19.9 lakh samples have been tested for the infection so far. Mizoram was earlier severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Govt inquires pharma firms' stock, adequacy of Covid management drugs

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday asked pharma companies to ensure adequate stocks and availability of all drugs, including those for Covid management, in the supply chain up to the retail level amid rise in coronavirus cases in some countries. He reviewed the status, adequacy of COVID-19 management drugs and production capacities with representatives of pharma companies through a virtual conference here so that India is equipped to effectively handle any situation. This review meeting was taken in view of the spike in COVID-19 cases in some countries including China, an official statement said. Through a presentation, the minister was briefed regarding the evolving global scenario. Mandaviya appreciated the pharma companies for their invaluable contribution during the pandemic in the country, the statement said. "India's pharmaceutical industry is robust, resilient and responsive. It is due to their strength that we could not only meet our down demand during the

India to require Covid test for arrivals from China, 4 other Asian nations

Health Minister Mandaviya asks pharma firms to ensure adequate stock of Covid-19 drugs

China's lack of Covid transparency ignites fear of new virus variants

Moves by the US, Japan and others to mandate COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough. There have been no reports of new variants to date. But given the country's track record, the worry is that China may not be sharing data on any signs of evolving strains that could spark fresh outbreaks elsewhere. The US, in announcing a negative test requirement on Wednesday for passengers from China, cited both the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of information, including the genomic sequencing of the virus strains in the country. Wang Pi-Sheng, the head of Taiwan's epidemic command centre, said on Thursday that uncertainty about the situation in China has his government worried. Authorities will start testing everyone arriving from China on January 1 ahead of the expected return of about 30,000 Taiwanese for th

China's lack of Covid transparency ignites fear of new virus variants

Passengers arriving in India from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand will be mandatorily required to provide negative Covid reports from January 1, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday. They will have to upload the negative Covid reports from RT-PCR tests on the Air Suvidha portal prior to their departure. The tests have to be conducted within 72 hours of undertaking the journey to India, Mandaviya said. This requirement is in addition to the random two per cent tests of all international passengers in all incoming international flights on their arrival in India irrespective of their port of departure, the minister said. Amid a spike in coronavirus cases in some countries, the government has sounded an alert, tightened Covid guidelines and asked states and Union territories to prepare for any eventuality. India recorded 268 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases increased to 3,552, according to the Union Health Ministry dat

Foreign tourist visiting Taj Mahal, missing after tested positive for Covid

A foreign tourist, who visited the Taj Mahal on December 26, has gone missing after he tested positive for COVID-19, a senior health official said on Thursday. Dr Arun Srivastava, who is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Agra, said that they have not been able to find the tourist as the contact details given by him is incorrect. "A tourist visited the Taj Mahal on December 26 and his sample for the COVID-19 test was taken at the entrance gate of the monument. His report was found COVID-19 positive in RT PCR test. However, the contact number and other details mentioned by the tourist is incorrect and we have not been able to find him since then," Srivastava told PTI. He said that now the health department is looking for the tourist with the help of Local Intelligence Unit (LIU), Hotels association and other sources. "The Health Department in Agra is taking steps to trace the location of the tourist so that he can be given proper treatment and other people can also be saved from ...

As mercury plummets, increase in patients with respiratory problems

As the mercury goes down, the number of patients with respiratory infections is going up alarmingly.

LIVE: Lack of information on China's Covid outbreak stirs global concerns

Live news updates: The US, in announcing a negative test requirement on Wednesday for passengers from China, cited both the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of information

Oil plunges as China's Covid-19 spike dampens global demand outlook

Brent futures for February fell 79 cents, or 1.0%, to $82.47 a barrel by 0730 GMT, while US crude fell 80 cents, or 1.0%, to $78.16 a barrel

Experts express worry as China opens air travel amid Covid-19 surge

As CAAC announces to lift Covid-19 travel restrictions from January 8, experts have warned that this can be the worst situation for the world, as Covid is still spreading in the country

Lack of information on China's Covid outbreak stirs global concerns

Moves by the US, Japan and others to mandate COVID-19 tests for passengers arriving from China reflect global concern that new variants could emerge in its ongoing explosive outbreak and the government may not inform the rest of the world quickly enough. There have been no reports of new variants to date. But given the country's track record, the worry is that China may not be sharing data on any signs of evolving strains that could spark fresh outbreaks elsewhere. The US, in announcing a negative test requirement on Wednesday for passengers from China, cited both the surge in infections and what it said was a lack of information, including the genomic sequencing of the virus strains in the country. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed a similar concern about a lack of information when he announced a testing requirement for passengers from China earlier this week. More broadly, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said recently that the WHO needs more information

India logs 268 fresh Covid-19 cases in last 24 hrs; recovery rate at 98.80%

India reported 268 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours against 188 cases reported on the previous day, said the Union Health Ministry on Thursday

Asia's tourist hotspots prepare for boom as China relaxes Covid rules

International flights to and from China are at just 8% of pre-pandemic levels, shows data

Argentine tourist goes missing after testing Covid positive at Taj Mahal

The contact details provided by him are wrong, CMO said

US officially records over 100 million Covid-19 cases, shows CDC data

Experts said the actual number is much higher as people testing at home do not relay their results to public health departments, and many people do not do tests any more

US reports nearly 48,000 weekly child Covid-19 cases, shows report

There is a need to collect more age-specific data to assess the severity of illness related to new variants as well as potential longer-term effects, the report added

Airlines worldwide keep capacity tight despite boom in Chinese demand

Bookings for outbound flights from China surged by 254% on Tuesday morning versus the same period the day prior, data shows

US will require Covid testing for travellers from China as infections surge

The US announced new COVID-19 testing requirements on Wednesday for all travellers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections. The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation's strict anti-virus controls. China's "zero COVID" policies had kept China's infection rate low but fuelled public frustration and crushed economic growth. Beginning Jan. 5, all travellers to the US from China will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone 2 years and older. Other countries have taken similar steps in an effort to keep infections from spreading beyond China's borders. Japan will require a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival for travellers from China, and Malaysia announced new tracking and surveillance measures. India, South Korea and Taiwan are requiring virus tests for visitors from China. Lunar New Year, whi